Date Released: Feb 20, 1997

Bitrate: Variable

Contributor

Since returning to active playing in 2005 after a career as a boxing manager, pianist Charles Farrell has released eleven CDs, played with Ornette Coleman, and

03.23.09

Warne Marsh, The Unissued Copenhagen Studio Recordings

1997 | Label: Storyville / The Orchard

Maybe it was chord-playing instruments that got in the late tenor saxophonist Warne Marsh's way. His harmonic thinking was so idiosyncratic that being fed chords tended to rein him in. On The Unissued Copenhagen Studio Recordings, he has the powerful bass lines of Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen providing all the underpinning necessary.

The Unissued Copenhagen Studio Recordings presents Marsh at nearly his freest. Two bop staples and ten standards make up the program. The saxophonist begins by… read more »

Contributor

Since returning to active playing in 2005 after a career as a boxing manager, pianist Charles Farrell has released eleven CDs, played with Ornette Coleman, and

03.23.09

Warne Marsh, The Unissued Copenhagen Studio Recordings

1997 | Label: Storyville / The Orchard

Maybe it was chord-playing instruments that got in the late tenor saxophonist Warne Marsh's way. His harmonic thinking was so idiosyncratic that being fed chords tended to rein him in. On The Unissued Copenhagen Studio Recordings, he has the powerful bass lines of Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen providing all the underpinning necessary.

The Unissued Copenhagen Studio Recordings presents Marsh at nearly his freest. Two bop staples and ten standards make up the program. The saxophonist begins by deconstructing Bird's "Confirmation." He slips and slides over the changes, using his small, fractured sound to emphasize certain phrases. Orsted Pedersen takes a characteristically stunning solo. The mood toughens up on "I Can't Give You Anything But Love," where Marsh allows drummer Alan Levitt and Orsted Pederson to build up an insistent head of steam. I'm struck by how similar Marsh's approach was to Wayne Shorter's. Both saxophonists favor the same kind of elliptical configurations. "Just One of Those Things" is set at a blazing pace, which drums and bass fly through effortlessly, as the tenor deliberately plays just behind the beat, creating real tension. It takes a courageous player to take a tune at this tempo, a braver one to be subtle and confident enough to let his lines lag slightly back.

"All the Things You Are" is as authoritative as a Sonny Rollins trio performance (and there are unlikely parallels between the two tenors.) "I Should Care" mixes otherworldly exclamations with solid architecture. Levitt lays out for a curt version of "When You're Smiling," with Marsh sounding like Stan Getz's eccentric brother. The drummer really asserts himself on "Taking a Chance On Love," prompting Marsh to dig in a little harder, throwing in some double time passages, Orsted Pedersen walking massively behind him. The bassist shines on "Everytime We Say Goodbye," managing to suggest a vast range of harmonic options with his choice of notes. Finally, there's a very fast "I Want to be Happy." Alan Levitt establishes the tempo, then falls into a stop time device that's like a rocket launcher for tenor and bass. Sax and drums engage in some combative fours, then it's back to the theme and out. The Unissued Copenhagen Studio Recordings is well worth downloading in its entirety — there's not a throwaway track in the bunch.

Awesome

A masterful improviser who stayed creative within the boundaries of advanced chordal improvisation, tenor saxophonist Warne Marsh is heard in excellent form throughout this 1997 CD. Heading a pianoless trio that also includes bassist Niels-Henning Orsted Pederson and drummer Alan Levitt, Marsh digs into a dozen of his favorite standards (which for once are not disguised with “original” new melodies) including “Confirmation,” “I Can’t Give You Anything but Love,” “All the Things You Are,” “When You’re Smiling” and “Takin’ a Chance on Love.” This is a rather sparse setting and, despite occasional bass solos, the focus throughout is primarily on Marsh. Fortunately he was in fine form that day and the results are a fine effort. – Scott Yanow